In a ceremony organized by the Local Council of Paola, in Dom Mintoff Garden, the Parliamentary Secretary for Local Government Alison Zerafa Civelli together with the mayor and the councilors inaugurated a new monument in honor of the former Prime Minister Dom Mintoff.
The monument was made with an investment of €170,000, of which 60% was financed by the Local Government Division through the scheme “Financing of Capital Projects, More Beautiful and Stronger Communities.” The rest of the funding was invested from the funds of the Paola Local Council. One of the objectives of this scheme is to help financially the local councils to carry out various projects in their respective localities.
The Local Council of Paola thought that a monument in honor of Dom Mintoff in this garden is worthy because it complements the current historical memorials in the surrounding area. This garden is located next to the 28 of April 1958 street which commemorates an event considered as the beginning of the road that led to the achievement of liberation. This is also against the background that in the area of this garden there are social housing buildings and schools that were built in the fifties, at a time when Architect Mintoff was Prime Minister.
The Parliamentary Secretary for Local Government Alison Zerafa Civelli explained that the responsibilities of the local councils are various and do not include the maintenance and cleaning of the locality or the collection of waste only, but include other elements such as education, local history and culture among others. She praised the local council for the initiative and commitment in favor of this project, because through it this monument will continue to remind the residents and everyone who visits this garden of the perseverance of our forefathers.
The artist of this monument is Knight Alfred Camilleri Cauchi. His draft was chosen by an independent jury, which was later also approved by the Local Council. The selection was made after a rigorous process as allowed by the public procurement regulations, called a Design Competition.
Mayor Dominic Grima thanked the Parliamentary Secretariat for Local Government for the financial support and help in the implementation of various projects. Mr. Grima also said that in the coming months the Local Council will be inaugurating several other projects that include gardens and new services for the community. Representatives from the Local Government Division were also present for this conference.
